Scatter Creek Wildlife Area
| Scatter Creek Wildlife Area | |
|---|---|
 Garry oaks (Quercus garryana) bordering Scatter Creek | |
  Location of Scatter Creek Unit | |
| Location | Southwest Washington, Washington, United States |
| Coordinates | 46°49′59″N 123°00′25″W / 46.833°N 123.007°W |
| Governing body | Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife |
| Website | Washington State Department of Fish & Wildlife - Scatter Creek Wildlife Area |
The Scatter Creek Wildlife Area is a multi-unit protected area and wildlife preserve in southern Thurston County, Washington. Covering seven units, the area is owned and managed by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) in cooperation with county government and volunteer organizations.
History
[edit]Grassland and prairie units of the Scatter Creek Wildlife area were formed by retreating glaciers approximately 15,000 years ago. The glacial till helped create a fertile ecosystem which allowed the migration of animal, insect, and plant species into the areas. Indigenous people in the region used the prairies for sustenance and medicinal needs, harvesting a variety of wildflowers or hunting wild game. Native Americans used fire to allow the prairies to remain as open grassland.[1]
Approximately 2% of the original prairie footprint remains with most restoration and conservation efforts undertaken by local volunteer groups in collaboration with environmental scientists.[1]
Units
[edit]Black River Wildlife Area Unit
[edit]The Black River Wildlife Area Unit is located between Gate and Rochester, Washington on the Black River. Open for the fishing, hunting, and viewing of wildlife, the 120-acre (49 ha) grounds features a sedge meadow.[2] The unit is also known as the Black River National Wildlife Refuge or as the Black River Habitat Management Area.
The Nature Conservancy purchased a pair of wetland tracts totaling 124 acres (50 ha) near the refuge in 2002.[3]
Davis Creek Wildlife Area Unit
[edit]The Davis Creek Wildlife Area Unit is located near Oakville and contains numerous animal and bird species, including deer, elk, and various types of waterfowl. The 654-acre (265 ha) riparian unit is situated near the Chehalis River and visitors are able to fish and hunt on the grounds.[4]
Glacial Heritage Wildlife Area Unit
[edit]
The Glacial Heritage Wildlife Area Unit, also known as the Glacial Heritage Preserve, is located east of Mima, Washington between Littlerock and Rochester, directly south of the Mima Mounds Natural Area Preserve on the Black River. The 80-acre (32 ha) prairie grassland unit, part of a larger prairie oak ecosystem,[1][a] protects rare and threatened plant species located within the preserve; the unit is open to the public only one day per year, known as Prairie Appreciation Day.[5][6][b]
The preserve and unit are joint-owned by Thurston County and the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW). Oversight and management of the lands have been under the Center for Natural Lands Management (CNLM) since 2011 and a volunteer group, known as the Friends of Puget Prairies since 2004. The CNLM also operates a nursery near the preserve, storing native seeds to help replenish the overall protected wildlife corridor.[1]
The southern end of the Gate to Belmore Trail is near the preserve and under plans by the county's Trail Connectivity Program, the pathway is to be extended by 1.6 miles (2.6 km) to the site. The project would connect the corridor of natural areas and preserves to the Yelm-Rainier-Tenino Trail and other hiking routes in the region.[7]
Several species of animals and birds, such as elk and western meadowlark, have returned to the Glacial Heritage Wildlife Area. Native plants, which include camas and the endangered golden paintbrush, have thrived in the protected habitat. The golden paintbrush is a crucial food source for larvae of the Taylor's checkerspot butterfly, an endangered species. Conservation efforts include persistent attention to the removal of Scotch broom, an invasive, non-native plant.[1]
Scatter Creek Unit
[edit]The Scatter Creek Unit is a 915-acre unit that is split into two sections, the North site and the South site and is located near Grand Mound, Washington and Rochester. The parcel is the site of a former homestead.[8]
The Scatter Creek Unit is home to one of the few remaining sections of south Puget Sound prairie. Garry oaks (Quercus garryana). The oaks can be found growing in riparian areas, along with Oregon ash (Fraxinus latifolia). In the forested hills on the north side of the reserve, conifers such as Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) predominate. Mima mounds can be found at both the North and South site.
Skookumchuck Wildlife Area Unit
[edit]The Skookumchuck Wildlife Area Unit is located downstream of the Skookuchuck Dam. The 883-acre (357 ha) parcel contains a mix of habitats, including grassland, forest, meadow, orchard, and wetlands. Various species in the unit include pheasant and elk, and salmon and steelhead exist in the Skookumchuck River. The unit is under a partnership agreement between the WDFW and the owner of the land, TransAlta. Hunting of fowl and fishing in the river is allowed.[9]
Violet Prairie Wildlife Area Unit
[edit]The Violet Prairie Wildlife Area Unit is located east of Tenino on Old Highway 99. The unit was completely acquired by 2024 and listed at approximately 1,500 acres (610 ha). Until that year, the prairie was closed to public access due to the necessity to determine how visitation would affect certain parts of the protected grounds.[10] The prairie was opened for public use by 2025 and visitors can participate in several recreational activities including hiking and hunting; horses may be ridden within the grounds.[11]
The preserve is home to the endangered Mazama pocket gopher as well as various creatures listed under the Species of Greatest Conservation Need program, including the Oregon vesper sparrow, and butterflies such as the Puget blue, and the Taylor's checkerspot.[10]
The soil at Violet Prairie is sediment deposited after the Last Glacial Period. Precipitation drains quickly through the ground leaving the grassland drier than is typical in western Washington. As the prairie was historically cleared of trees and other brush by indigenous people through controlled burns, and had been used for agricultural and livestock feeding since early pioneer settlement in the 1800s, the WDFW allows cattle to continue to graze the lands. Though an official study had not yet been conducted as of 2025[update], anecdotal evidence suggests bare soil from livestock feeding allows native seeds and vegetation to replenish the prairie while keeping fire dangers at low levels; native species are also suggested to rebound in numbers due to the nature of the grazing allowance.[11]
West Rocky Prairie Unit
[edit]The West Rocky Prairie Unit is located near Tenino. The unit is 119.0 acres (48.2 ha) and contains Oregon white oak, Oregon ash, Douglas fir, and maple. In 2023, the WDFW undertook a tree-thinning operation to restore the prairie oak habitat by removing heavy densities of ash, fir, and maple. The project would also overhaul the roads in the parcel.[12]
Gallery
[edit]-
Northern alligator lizard (Elgaria coerulea) -
Camas (Camassia quamash) -
White morph of Camassia quamash -
Garry oaks (Quercus garryana) with senescing leaves -
Controlled burn
Notes
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e f Jacobson, Kathy (April 4, 2025). "Meet Watershed Heroes Dennis Plank and Gail Trotter: Protectors of Glacial Heritage Preserve, a rare prairie ecosystem". The Chronicle. Retrieved April 7, 2025.
- ^ "Black River Wildlife Area Unit". Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. Retrieved August 20, 2024.
- ^ "Nature Conservancy buys 124 acres in watershed". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Associated Press. April 7, 2002. Retrieved August 20, 2024.
- ^ "Davis Creek Wildlife Area Unit". Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. Retrieved August 20, 2024.
- ^ "Glacial Heritage Wildlife Area Unit". Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. Retrieved August 20, 2024.
- ^ "Prairie Appreciation Days". Friends of Puget Prairies. Retrieved August 20, 2024.
- ^ Bilbao, Martin (May 30, 2023). "Thurston County is designing trail extensions near Tenino, Glacial Heritage Preserve". The Olympian. Retrieved August 20, 2024.
- ^ Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife
- ^ "Skookumchuck Wildlife Area Unit". Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. Retrieved August 20, 2024.
- ^ a b "Violet Prairie Wildlife Area Unit". Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. Retrieved August 20, 2024.
- ^ a b Bilbao, Martin (May 4, 2025). "Grazing cattle are helping conserve this Tenino area prairie that's open to the public". The Olympian. Retrieved May 26, 2025.
- ^ The Chronicle staff (July 27, 2023). "WDFW to start forest thinning project to restore prairie habitat near Tenino". The Chronicle. Retrieved August 2, 2023.
External links
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